Princess Cruises has reported a 62 per cent increase from Middle East for its Alaska family cruise vacation.

The bulk of the bookings came from the UAE, Bahrain and Oman, according to Cruise Master Middle East, the agency that represents Princess Cruises in the region.

The 12-night family cruisetours include a seven-night Voyage of the Glaciers cruise, plus a five-night land tour. The land segment also features family-friendly extras as daily breakfasts, a visit to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, and a dinner theatre performance. At sea, families can also take advantage of Princess' many onboard programs especially for children, including a special Junior Ranger program in Glacier Bay National Park.

'Alaska is the perfect place for a family vacation,' said Ashok Kumar,  director Business Development, Cruise Master Middle East.

'There are amazing wildlife viewing opportunities, awesome scenery and lots of adventures.  With this in mind, we have made it easier for family groups to plan the perfect Alaska experience with activities that appeal to different ages and interests.'

Passengers can choose to sail aboard Diamond Princess or Coral Princess, and the cruisetour land itinerary includes stays at three of Princess' own wilderness lodges - one night at Mt McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, two nights at Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge and two nights at Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge.  Princess offers exclusive Direct-to-the-Wilderness rail service that allows one to step off the cruise ship in Whittier onto Princess Railcar offering more time at wilderness lodges.

The following special extras are included in the 2011 season tours: Daily Breakfast, Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Iditarod Headquarters with Dog Sled Ride, Evening Campfire Experience (Mt McKinley), Music of Denali Dinner Theater (Denali), rollicking musical comedy, Experience Denali with Alaska Geographic Tour (Denali), a more intimate tour of Denali National Park, Sourdough Expedition Breakfast (Denali), Riverboat Cruise and El Dorado Goldmine Tour, he added.

Princess Cruises brings National Park Rangers and Alaska experts aboard to enhance the Alaskan cruise experience and has been voted 'Best Cruise Line in Alaska' by Travel Weekly six times.

Fares for the Alaska Family Cruisetours start at $1,648 per person for the first and second berths, and $1,246 per person for the third and fourth berth passengers.-TradeArabia News Service